Hamilton's F1 title hopes take massive hit

Lewis Hamilton bushed rival Max Verstappen successful qualifying to instrumentality rod presumption for Saturday's sprint contention up of the Brazilian Grand Prix, though an motor alteration means the British operator is facing a five-place grid penalty.

Hamilton was much than 0.4 seconds up of his Red Bull rival successful Friday's qualifying astatine Interlagos, having besides acceptable the fastest clip successful the morning's signifier session. That means he'll commencement archetypal successful the sprint contention connected Saturday, which volition find the starting grid for Sunday's Grand Prix.

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However, the determination by Mercedes to alteration the motor of his car means the British operator volition not commencement higher than sixth successful Sunday’s race, adjacent if helium wins the sprint.

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - NOVEMBER 12: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes W12 during qualifying up of the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil astatine Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace connected November 12, 2021 successful Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) (Getty)

“Today was a truly bully qualifying session, I’m ace blessed with it,” Hamilton said. “We’ve got the punishment but we’ll springiness it everything we’ve got. It’s not casual to follow, but I conjecture Max is starting connected rod (Sunday) present truthful it’s going to beryllium precise hard to drawback him but I’ll bash my champion to effort and spell done the field."

The seven-time F1 champion trails Verstappen by 19 points successful the standings with 4 races near successful the season.

It’s the 2nd clip the Mercedes operator has exceeded the bounds of 3 engines for the season, and the punishment volition marque it adjacent harder to adjacent the spread to Verstappen.

Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas finished 3rd successful qualifying, 0.014 up of Red Bull's Sergio Perez, who was faster than him successful the signifier league a fewer hours earler.

The Red Bulls had proven faster than the Mercedes cars successful caller races but Verstappen said Hamilton's show connected Friday was “not a large shock” aft the motor change.

Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton has had 4 power-unit changes during the 2021 satellite championship. (Getty)

“I americium conscionable blessed to beryllium second. That is simply a bully presumption to commencement from," helium said. "You ever privation to beryllium closer, but sometimes you conscionable person to beryllium realistic.”

Hamilton took a 10-place grid punishment for a caller motor successful Turkey. Bottas has faced akin problems, which has raised questions astir the engine's reliability.

The Brazilian GP volition beryllium the 3rd lawsuit of the play with a qualifying sprint contention connected Saturday to find Sunday’s grid, with the victor besides getting 3 points. The 2 erstwhile sprint races were held successful Silverstone and Monza.

The upwind could inactive play a relation astatine Interlagos, with a bladed drizzle falling successful definite sectors of the way connected Friday, but not capable to interaction drivers' performances.

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